Stories Authored By Life' To Premiere On Studio 23-Cebu

Nothing is more intriguing than true-to-life, insightful and wide-ranging stories on life-changing events, larger-than-life personalities and places of interest. Studio 23-Cebu will treat its local viewers with a new TV show, Por Vida: Stories Authored By Life, starting on November 18, Tuesday, at 6:30pm.

Por Vida, in Spanish meaning “by life,” is a 30-minute tele-magazine show that dissects human interest themes with socio-relevance. The show first went on air seven years ago but to a limited audience. Now it’s making a comeback on mainstream television, Studio 23-Cebu Kabarkada Nimo, with the same show host, director, theme, but this time around, the stories in store for the audience have become more interesting. 

On its pilot episode, Cebu’s oldest newspaper takes the spotlight. “Telling the News” delves on the everyday routine of a local newspaper company with circulation within the province to some key cities in the Visayas region. The story starts from how the paper goes from the printing press to the dealers, newsboys then to the news consumers. The FREEMAN reporters, editors, layout artists and printing staff give verbal accounts on their daily grind, plus location shoots to support their claims.

Other episodes

Award-winning Cebuano inventor Go Ching Hai’s (a.k.a Hayco) works that most Cebuanos are not aware of are given great emphasis in Por Vida’s second episode. Entitled “Hayco,” the episode features the inspiring lifestory of the inventor and some of his inventions used such as Meat Magic (veggie meat), corn mill technologies that have been around the Philippines and abroad and the first prototype of the roro (roll-on/roll-off) barge which transported before cargo and passengers from Mandaue to Mactan and vice versa when the bridges were then non-existent.

 Cebu’s sidewalk markets are also visited as Por Vida’s third episode tells the operations of street stalls along the downtown area. There’s also a story that speaks of the elaborate work of a kitchen of a top hotel in the metro—from how the chef prepares the food ordered by a diner to how the food is served. It’s life on a plate!

Por Vida will also take its viewers down memory lane as one of its canned episodes re-traces Cebu’s olden times. Of course, some of the major (but oft-ignored) landmarks in the downtown area are featured, highlighting their historical significance. There are also episodes that focus on the making of a famous delicacy, Cebuano music.

Big dreamers

“The producing company of Por Vida, Headline Media Projects, Inc., is small and starting but the people behind it are big and established dreamers. Everybody involved in the show get more encouraged and more determined with adversity. We always try our best to come out with a type of show such that the show that you watch is worth your time and is also worth the airtime,” said director Archie Modequillo during the launch of Por Vida at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino last November 10.

Modequillo, who studied filmmaking in the US, is an experienced director who had done TV commercials and has a background in international TV production, working as stringer for such media outlets as the National Geographic Channel. Apart from the camerawork, he also usually writes the show’s scripts. Modequillo maintains the column Por Vida in The FREEMAN every Sunday.

For her part, Por Vida host Marlinda Angbetic Tan (also the executive lifestyle editor of this paper) explained the move to revive the TV show on Studio 23-Cebu. “There are so many stories out there that still need to be told. Por Vida will tell it to you. [We hope] viewers will be informed and get inspired.”

Starting this November 18, Por Vida-TV is aired every Tuesday on Studio 23-Cebu.